Aderholt Gets "A" for Ethics, Moore Gets "A" for Hypocrisy

 

The State of Alabama has seven representatives in the U.S. Congress, six of them Republicans. Of those six, five refused to vote to oust George Santos from the House. If you haven't been keeping up, Santos is currently facing the following legal issues: 23 criminal charges of wire fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, and credit card fraud. Additionally, the now former New York Congressman has been proved to have fabricated large parts of his life story, including significant elements of his resume' and biography.

Santos is also wanted in Brazil where he has previously lived. While running in a district with a substantial Jewish population, he claimed not only to be Jewish himself, but to have had grandparents who survived the Holocaust. If there's a lie to be told, apparently Santos has uttered it.

Rep. Aderholt voted to oust Santos, stating “I believe the situation Congressman Santos finds himself in rose to the level that he should no longer be serving in the House of Representatives. While George Santos is a fellow Republican, and the Republican majority will now be less, I don’t believe that even a slim majority should excuse such gross unethical conduct."

We're not sure how the other five Republican Congressmen justified voting to keep Santos in their midst, but one stands out. Barry Moore recently said: ...on convictions, we should never walk away. (Jeff Poor Show)

So, Rep. Moore, does that mean your convictions support George Santos?

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Hi, I'm Kaden, a 13 month-old boy Beagle mix. I'm looking for a round-headed kid to feed me...actually anyone to feed me. Come see me at the Florence shelter in the industrial park:

...For Tuesday We Vote/Autumn Wood

While every election is important, so many voters don't research, or sometimes even bother to check their ballot in, local elections. We hope each of you will vote Tuesday, no matter how you mark your ballots. Here are our picks on some pivotal local spots:

State:

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court - Bob Vance. Vance is a man of integrity; his opponent Roy Moore is a grandstander who cares only for himself.

Lauderdale County:

Probate Judge - William Smith. William is a practicing attorney with vast experience in service to his community and local causes.

Commission Chair - Quinton Hanson. Quinton owns a successful local business, and do we really need another term for Dewey Mitchell, the man Sam Pendleton has called the worst probate judge Lauderdale County has ever had? Quinton has promised more transparency in county government. Now that will be refreshing.

Commissioner District 1 - Roger Garner. Roger is a level headed businessman who promises not to use this office for personal vendettas.

Commissioner District 2 - Joe Hackworth. Joe is not aligned with any cliques and promises to bring a breath of educated fresh air to county government.

Superintendent of Education - Jennifer Gray. Jennifer not only has the best interest of the county school system at heart, she also has the "pieces of paper" to make her the best choice.

Colbert County:

Probate Judge - Daniel Rosser. Daniel is a practicing attorney. Jim Bonner has many good points, but no legal education and until only recently resided outside Colbert County.

Commissioner District 5: Tommy Oswalt. Tommy is a local businessman with no apparent hidden agenda.

Franklin County:

Probate Judge - Barry Moore. Barry has served well the past five years. His opponent failed to show up for the NWSCC sponsored debate. Connie Green has run more on the record of her late husband than on the platform of her vision for Franklin County.

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We continue to receive questions and comments concerning Autumn Marie Wood, the confessed killer of 14 year-old Brooklyn Ann Hollins. Therefore, we're republishing some facts of the case, along with some educated guesses concerning her fate.

Fact - Wood was denied juvenile status and will be tried as an adult.

Fact - Wood is charged with only Felony Murder. She cannot receive either the death penalty or a sentence of Life Without Parole.

Prediction: The Lauderdale County District Attorney's office will give the jury the option of convicting Wood of Manslaughter. In this way, there is a greater chance Wood will not go free.

Fact: If convicted of Manslaughter, Wood will almost certainly receive the maximum of 15 years. Since it is a Class B felony, she will complete her sentence in five years (assuming good behavior) and also be eligible for parole in 20 months.

Fact: If convicted of Felony Murder, Wood will be eligible for parole after 10 years--sooner if she has support from community and competent attorneys.

Prediction: We're giving 51-49 odds that Wood will be convicted of Manslaughter.



Shoalanda

Connie Green & Chris Nichols Join Democratic Fray in Franklin County

Connie Green, widow of former Probate Judge Mike Green, and Chris Nichols have joined Stratt Byars in seeking the Democratic nomination for the probate judgeship in Franklin County. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off against Republican Barry Moore. Qualifying ends Friday the 13th at 5:00 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., the Dems will host their traditional kickoff banquet at the A. W. Todd Centre in downtown Russellville. No word if crow will be similarly served in November.

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A reader commented on Brooks High Coach Jerry Hill's quest for the Lauderdale County Superintendent's office:

That's like the pot calling the kettle black. Jerry Hill was coach at Central when Harlon was principal at Brooks. He works for Lauderdale Board of Education, he has two sisters who work for different offices in Lauderdale County and are on the Lauderdale County payroll. Does he think he and his family are exempt from nepotism? I will not vote for him because I don't believe he is qualified to be Superintendent of Education.

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It's now January 11th. We're still waiting to hear from Navistar on their plans for the RSA Barton facility, as well as from the state concerning RegionalCare's Certificate of Need. Perhaps their press conferences have been called because of rain?


Shoalanda

Comments welcome. No profanity. No vulgarity. No libelous statements. Get it? Got it! Good...

Franklin Probate Judge's Race to be Hotly Contested

When Mike Green (pictured at right) was elected for his second term as Franklin County Probate Judge in 2006, no one suspected it would last only four months. Green was just 54 when a heart attack ended both his life and many of the plans he had to modernize local government in the mainly rural northwestern Alabama county.

Gov. Bob Riley set up a committee to find a replacement for Green, receiving 14 applications for the position. The committee soon narrowed the field to six, including Green's wife Connie who garnered the support of hundreds of voters via petition.

Less than one month after Green's death, Riley appointed Barry Moore as his replacement. Now Moore is running on the Republican ticket for his first full term.

Moore is a Franklin County native and 1990 graduate of the University of North Alabama. He's married to the former Deedra Seele, with whom he has an 11 year-old daughter. The owner of a Russellville tool company, Moore previously served 23 years in the Alabama Army National Guard.

However, the well-liked Moore won't be without opposition, at least on the Democratic side. Russellville realtor Stratt Byars, currently a member of the Franklin County Commission, is expected to announce his candidacy officially within the next few weeks.

From his bio: Stratt is married to Connie Byars and has three children, Stratt, Anna, and Conner. Stratt was born and raised in Franklin County and he and his family live in the Saints Crossroads Community. Stratt is a graduate of Russellville High School and graduated from The University of North Alabama with a B.S. in Management. Stratt is currently serving as a County Commissioner for Franklin County and also is a Real Estate Agent with Davis Realty & Assoc., Inc. Byars is also President of Y.E.S. (Youth, Employment, Seniors) of Franklin County.

The home of Alabama Senate Minority Leader Roger Bedford, Franklin County has always been strongly Democratic. This race could prove to be much more of a toss up than the also sure to be entertaining race for mayor of Russellville.

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Bailey's Bailiwick: I'm not a psychologist and I don't even play one on television. Still I'm pretty sure of the kind of persons Ron Wikkid Weems and his happy henchmen are. I'm pretty sure they all lived a life of drugs and yes sex and rock'n'roll, or would that be hip-hop? Jobs sure didn't seem to be at the top of their list.

At last count Weems had six kids by three different women and wasn't supporting any of them. But of course he had that heart condition and all. Wanna bet he regularly took money from Laurel who worked part-time as a cashier? Maybe from his mother too. Didn't she have some kind of disability? Apple Ron may not have dropped too far from the tree there.

But after reading about Ashley Greenhill, I'm almost ready to give Ron a pass. After all he may not have supported his kids, but at least he was never arrested for biting them all over their bodies. Whoever commented these refugees from the funny farm weren't MENSA material sure got that right.

Now let's hope a grand jury indicts Ron for a capital crime and manages to get Ashley in on the deal as well. I'm sure whoever has Ashley's two kids would love to see her down south for at least the next 20 years. Neither one deserves any less.

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THE SHOALS DEMOCRATIC CLUB will meet on Monday, January 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Steelworkers' Union Hall on Wilson Dam Road in Muscle Shoals. A light meal will be served at 6 p.m. Speaker for the meeting is Charlie Holley, Democratic Candidate for Congress from the 5th District. The public is invited to attend. For Additional Information, please email shoalsdemocrats@gmail.com or call 256.412.9966.



Shoalanda

Comments welcome. No profanity. No vulgarity. No libelous statements. Get it? Got it! Good...